In a book written while he was president of Czechoslovakia, Vaclav Havel combines the same powerful eloquence, moral passion, and abiding wisdom that informed his writing as a dissident and playwright, with a candor unprecedented from one with the broad perspective and infinite responsibility of governing a country.

Havel, now president of the Czech Republic, addresses the legacy of Communism as the euphoria of the Velvet Revolution gives way to a more problematic reality. Yet even as he grapples with the challenges of political change, he affirms his belief in a politics motivated by moral responsibility; in an economy tempered by compassion; and in the central roles of art and culture in the transformation of society. Summer Meditations is not only a timely and necessary testament of events in Eastern Europe but a profound reflection upon the nature and practice of politics and a stirring call for morality, civility, and openness in public life throughout the world.

Books of great political insight and novelty always outlive their time of birth and this reissued work, initially published in 1985, is no exception. Written shortly after the formation of Charter 77, the essays in this collection are among the most original and compelling pieces of political writing to have emerged from central and Eastern Europe during the whole of the post-war period. Václav Havel's essay provides the title for the book. It was read by all the contributors who in turn responded to the many questions which Havel raises about the potential power of the powerless.

The essays explain the anti-democratic features and limits of Soviet-type totalitarian systems of power. They discuss such concepts as ideology, democracy, civil liberty, law and the state from a perspective which is radically different from that of people living in liberal western democracies. The authors also discuss the prospects for democratic change under totalitarian conditions. Steven Lukes' introduction provides an invaluable political and historical context for these writings.

The authors represent a very broad spectrum of democratic opinion, including liberal, conservative and socialist.

From the former president of the Czech Republic comes this first-hand account of his years in office and the transition to democracy following the fall of Communism.

A renowned playwright, V clav Havel became one of Czechoslovakia's most prominent dissidents under Communist rule - and the president after the Velvet Revolution, making him a key player in European politics. Here we see first-hand the challenges of creating a new government, tempered with Havel's revealing insights into the difficulties posed by an era of increased globalization and conflict. He discusses not only the situation in his own country, but also such pressing issues as the future of the European Union, the war in Iraq, and the role of the United States in contemporary affairs. Written with an eye towards both the political and the personal and a witty, well-honed eloquence, To the Castle and Back is a rare glimpse into the minds of one of the most important political figures of modern times.

The Vaněk Plays are perhaps V clav Havel's best-known works, and the character Vaněk became a symbol for Czechoslovak dissidents during the Communist era. In the plays, Audience, Protest, and Unveiling, Vaněk encounters people trapped by the moral dilemmas inherent in a Communist system. Also included is Havel's modern sequel, the previously unpublished Dozens of Cousins. All translated by Jan Novak. Part of the Havel Collection, a series of new translations of the work of V clav Havel, from Theater 61 Press.

Forming part of the Vanek Plays trilogy, Audience is a cleverly-constructed satire on power and those who wield it. Vanek is summoned to a meeting with the Head Maltster and offered promotion, but only if he informs on himself 2 men

Books of great political insight and novelty always outlive their time of birth and this reissued work, initially published in 1985, is no exception. Written shortly after the formation of Charter 7, the essays in this collection are among the most original and compelling pieces of political writing to have emerged from central and Eastern Europe during the whole of the post-war period.

The Increased Difficulty of Concentration is a metaphysical farce, written by dissident Czechoslovak playwright (and future president) V clav Havel. Hummel, an academic, juggles lovers, philosophy, and the questions from a strange machine called Pazuk, while trying to make sense of his life. A previously unpublished translation by Stěp n Simek. Part of the Havel Collection, a series of new translations of the work of V clav Havel, from Theater 61 Press.

Spanning twenty-five years, this historic collection of writings shows Vaclav Havel's evolution from a modestly known playwright who had the courage to advise and criticize Czechoslovakia's leaders to a newly elected president whose first address to his fellow citizens begins, I assume you did not propose me for this office so that I, too, would lie to you. Some of the pieces in Open Letters, such as Dear Dr. Husak and the essay The Power of the Powerless, are by now almost legendary for their influence on a generation of Eastern European dissidents; others, such as some of Havel's prison correspondence and his private letter to Alexander Dubcek, appear in English for the first time. All of them bear the unmistakable imprint of Havel's intellectual rigor, moral conviction, and unassuming eloquence, while standing as important additions to the world's literature of conscience.

Professor Leopold Nettles, the hero of Largo Desolato, is the author of a book that contains a troublesome paragraph laying him open to arrest on charges of disturbing the intellectual peace. Pressed by the government to recant, Nettles is tor­tured-by internal demons as well as external ones. Vaclav Havel has created a vivid and terrifying portrait of the writer in the totalitarian state that is as real and immediate as today's headlines.

In his most challenging work to date, Czech playwright Vaclav Havel has given the Faust legend a provocative twist. His setting is the Institute, whose mission is to combat the irrational tendencies in society through its scientific work. Personal and professional relationships at this lighthouse of truthful knowledge are a tissue of lies and sycophancy in which all concerned willingly collude. The only tempest in this teapot of careerism is Dr Foustka, who has lately been smitten by metaphysical doubt and is rumored to be dabbling in the black arts. His mentor, the unlikely Mephistopheles of the piece, is a dwarflike old man with smelly feet and a slippery logic that irresistibly appeals to Foustka's intellectual hubris. With great wit and originality Havel follows the familiar outlines of the story to a unique conclusion at a witches' sabbath garden party organized by the Institute's crafty director in the spirit of modern group-costume therapy. For Havel, the rational carried to surreal lengths of irrationality is not a theatrical technique but a fact of life in Czechoslovakia since the Soviet invasion of 1968. Yet in universalizing his tale through the Faust legend, he forcefully reminds us that under conditions of modern bureaucracy neither East nor West holds a monopoly on the sale of souls.

The Memo is one of V clav Havel's most popular plays, and this new translation is by Havel's most prolific translator, Paul Wilson. An office has adopted a new official language, Ptydepe, in an attempt to make communication more scientific. But the new language may truly be a tool for power. Havel's play was able to slip by the Communist Czech censors in 1965, despite its veiled political commentary. Part of the Havel Collection, a series of new translations of the work of V clav Havel, from Theater 61 Press.

In the face of Europe's rising nationalism and intolerance, this timely anthology by Czech writers addresses a key issue for today. The courage of Czech writers is legendary. During the Cold War they kept their nation's conscience alive by clandestine publishing while imprisoned as dissidents or collecting garbage, washing windows or selling fish as non-persons, and then they took the lead in the Velvet Revolution of 1989 that overthrew communism.

In Europe and the West today -- with its rising nationalism and political extremism -- subtlety, humour and sharp intelligence are needed more than ever, and this volume of stories, poetry, essays and drama showcases some of the best Czech writing on these important topics. The volume also lends insight into the role of Czech writers during two of the darkest periods of Central European history: the struggles against fascism and communism.

This classic farce done in thirty scenes with no chronological sequence concerns a doctor of philosophy who has a wife, a mistress, and a secretary whose beautiful legs make it difficult for him to concentrate when she is taking dictation.

Private View has the same irony and touch of comic absurdity as its two companion pieces in the Vanek trilogy. Invited by his ridiculous friends Michael and Vera, the mild-mannered writer, Vanek, endeavours to enthuse over their newly, pretentiously refurbished flat. But as the couple happily express the perfection of their marriage their tone gradually develops into a personal attack on Vanek.1 woman, 2 men

The Czech President Vaclav Havel, a force on behalf of international human rights and his country's most celebrated dissident, first gained prominence as a playwright. During the period when Havel was blacklisted by the Czechoslovakian government for his political activism, productions of his work in and around Prague were regarded as subversive acts. The Beggar's Opera is a free-wheeling, highly politicized adaptation of John Gay's well-known eighteenth-century work of the same name. The play, reminiscent of Havel's earlier Garden Party and The Memorandum, is up to his best satirical standard. Like the Brecht/Weill Threepenny Opera, Havel's play uses an underworld milieu to explore the intermingled themes of love, loyalty, and treachery.Paul Wilson's new English translation of The Beggar's Opera is lively, idiomatic, and sensitive to underlying linguistic and political issues. The Cornell edition contains an Introduction by Peter Steiner that details the November 1, 1976, premiere of the play in the Prague suburb of Horní Pocernice, the reaction of the Czech secret police, and the measures the government took to punish and discredit those involved in the production. Eleven photographs--of the playwright, the actors, the theatre, and the actual performance--enhance the texture of the book.

The Pig, or V clav Havel's Hunt for a Pig was Havel's final theater piece, a shaggy-dog tale set at a pig roast and filled with music. Vladim r Mor vek took an old dialogue of Havel's, combined it with Smetana's The Bartered Bride, and the resulting collage comments both on Communist Czechoslovakia and the post-Communist Czech era. Also included is Havel's first ever one-act: Ela, Hela, and the Hitch. These plays, translated by Edward Einhorn, have never before been published in English translation. Part of the Havel Collection, a series of new translations of the work of V clav Havel, from Theater 61 Press.

Leaving was the first play written by V clav Havel after his final term as President of The Czech Republic. Inspired by Lear and The Cherry Orchard, Havel writes of a man forced to leave the state owned villa he has called home for years, when his time in public office has ended. A drama of ethics and politics with, as always, a touch of the absurd. Translated by Havel's most prolific translator, Paul Wilson. Part of the Havel Collection, a series of new translations of the work of V clav Havel, from Theater 61 Press.

Books of great political insight and novelty always outlive their time of birth and this reissued work, initially published in 1985, is no exception